Context For Learning Description of School and Students

Trinity Christian College Field Experience Form

Context for Learning

Description of School and Students

About the School Where You Are Observing or doing Field Experience

School Name and City: Field Middle School, Northbrook

Type of School: Elementary school, Middle School, High School, or Other:   Middle School

Setting: Urban, Suburban, or Rural: Suburban

Write your responses to the three questions below in paragraph form.

1.       List any special features of the school or classroom setting (e.g., themed magnet, classroom aide, bilingual, co-taught with a special education teacher, pull-out program).

I am observing in five 8^th grade social studies classrooms at Field Middle School. Each of the classes have around 20 students. One class has a classroom aide because there are two students in that one class with IEPs. The classroom aid sits with the two students and quietly helps to keep the two student’s attention on the teacher when he is talking. When the students are given time for individual work, the aid works one-on-one with these two students. On the day a test was administered, the aid took the two students into a conference room to take the test alone. They were both given additional time, and the aide read the questions on the test aloud to them and answered any questions that they had while taking the test.

2.       Describe any district, school, or cooperating teacher requirements or expectations that affects the planning or delivery of instruction, such as required curricula, pacing plan, use of specific instructional strategies, or standardized tests.

In the district that I am observing now, the school is given the standardized MAPS test. Since there is not a social studies section on the MAPS test, my classroom teacher was not affected by this, but I did talk to one of the math teachers who told me that when his students take the math portion of the MAPS tests that he cannot be the one to administer the test because he is evaluated on the growth of the students on the math portion of the test. The district doesn’t want the teacher to be in the room to have an opportunity to influence the students if they ask a question during the test.

3.    For special education only: List any educators with specialized expertise in the school/district (e.g., specific disabilities, subject-specific pedagogy, English language development, speech therapists).

About the Students in this Class [Give a brief or one word response]

1.    Estimated percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch: 30%

2.    Grade level(s): 6-8

3.    Number of

a.    students in the class: 20

b.    males: 12

females: 8

c.    English language learners: 5

d.    students identified as gifted and talented: 1

e.    students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans: 4

4.    Complete the chart below to summarize required accommodations or modifications for students receiving special education services and/or students who are gifted and talented as they will affect instruction. As needed, consult with your cooperating teacher to complete the chart. The first row has been completed in italics as an example. Use as many rows as you need.

Special Education Category	Number of Students	Accommodations, Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP Goals
Example: Learning Disability	Example: 4	Example: Close monitoring, follow up, and Resource Room
Learning Disability	2	Group testing, multiple choice instead of essay test
ADHD	2	Extra time on tests, written copy of teacher notes

About the Class You Observed

1.    How much time is devoted each day to instruction in the classroom? Describe the class periods (if applicable)? Choose a content area of your specialty or major. How much time is devoted to teaching that subject? Because this is a middle school social studies class, 90% of the 40-minute class period is devoted to instruction.

2.       Is there any ability grouping or tracking? If so, please describe how it affects your class.

No, there is no ability grouping or tracking in the classes I am observing.

3.       Identify any textbook or instructional program you primarily use for instruction. If a textbook, please provide the title, publisher, and date of publication.

The unit being taught in the classroom I am observing now is the Genocide unit.  The teacher uses only primary sources and there is no textbook.

4.       List other resources (e.g., SMARTBoard, manipulatives, online resources) used for instruction in this class.

A document camera that connect to the projector to share notes and review questions is used in the classroom. Many primary source video are shown as part of the instruction.

5.       What do you know about what your students know, what can they do, and what are they learning to do? What do you know about your students’ everyday experiences, cultural backgrounds and practices, and interests?

The students in the class I am observing are learning to think critically by analyzing primary source pictures and articles. The students in these classrooms are culturally diverse spanning white, Asian, black and Indian. They are interested in sports, reading and absorbing new knowledge.

  

6.       Describe one teaching event. What best practices in teaching were used?

The teacher I am observing has a good command of the classroom. The students respect him and pay close attention when he is speaking. He maintains a very effective classroom management style that fosters good discussion time. The teacher sets an expectation that the students will come prepared to class and answer when called on, and they do.